Collapsible cot.



R. G. RASMUSSEN.

GOLLAPSIBLE GOT. APPLICATION FILED DBO.10,1909.

Patented Mar. 15, 1910.

2 SHBETS-SHEET 1.

Patented Mar.15,19 10.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 are connected 'rable hinges. are formed with an opening at the middle,

cairn sora'rns earner enrich.

RUDOLPH C. RASMUSSEN, 0F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR T0 GOLD MEDAL CAMP FURNITURE MFG. 00., A CORPORATION OF WISCONSIN.

COLLAPSIBLE COT.

Specification of Letters Patent. lgttentetll ll'lltll. llli, llillll.

Application filed December 10, 1909. Serial No. 532,318.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RUDOLPH C. RASMUS- sex, a citizen of the United States, and resident of the city and county of Philadelphia, State of 'llennsylvania, have invented an Improvement in Collapsible Cots, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to cots, intended more particularly for field-hospital service, which may be collapsed or folded into a small, compact form and may be quickly opened out for use. i

\Vhen in active service the canvas of the cot is liable to be injured or soiled, and frequent changes are necessary. It has been usual to attach the canvas to the side-rails by tacks or similar fastenings, and the cancould only be detached by drawing out the tacks. Not only 'did this involve .considerable labor and time, but the repeated driving of tacks or similar fastenings into the wood of the side rails soon broke down the fibers of the woodand rendered the rails useless. Detachable connection by means of gromets is also objectionable, since sdeh fastenings are not sufficiently strong, and injure the fabric.

It is one of the objects of my invention to dispense with fastenings, such as tacks or gromets, and to enable the canvas to be supported by hems at the sides while'permitting it L0 be removed and replaced with facility and expedition.

In carrying out my invention I employ sectional side-rails, the members of which with the central leg by sepa- The side hems of thc'canvas and whenit is desired tochangc the canvas it is only'necessary to disconnect the hinges at the inner ends of the rail section, to slip the side hems 0d the section through the middle opening in the hem, and then to slip on the hems of the'new canvas and connect the hinges,'all of which can. be done in a very few moments. Another ditlicnlt y which has been experienced with cots of this kind is that the end-sticks or cross-bars, which form the transverse struts. between the'side-rails at the head and foot must be detached and drawn out of the pockets formed by the'hems in the end of the canvas, when the cot is collapsed. lieing thus detached from theother parts of the cot,

they are frequently lost, so that the cot is rendered useless.

It is an object of my invention to overcome this diiiieulty by enabliiig the endsticks to remain in their pockets in the hems of the canvas when the cot is collapsed. This I accomplish by jointing the end-sticks at the middle in such a manner, that, while they may be folded up within the cot without removal from the hems, when the cot is collapsed, their joints will not interfere with their eliectiveness as struts between the siderails when the cot is opened.

In my drawings, Figure 1 is an end elevation of a cot embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the cot on a reduced scale; Fig. 3 is-a perspective view of one of the end-sticks; Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the hinge between onev of the side rails and the central leg; Fig. 5 is a plan view of one ofthe side-rails and end leg when the parts are collapsed; Fig. (3 is a. front elevation of one of the legs when collapsed; and Figs. 7,

8 and 9 are perspective views of details.

The cot consists of side-rails a, endsticks Z), jointed legs 0 o o and canvas (Z carried by the, side-rails and end-sticks. The side rails are each composed of two pieces o a jointed together at the middle by plates 0 to which the upper ends of the members of the middle leg 0 are secured. The ends of the side-rails are hinged to plates f to which the upper-ends of the IllQll'llJBl'S of the end legs (.1 c are secured. The end-sticks 7) are, each composed of two pieces I) jointed together at the middle by a plate. y The ends of the pieces I') 71" are adapted to engage the ends of the side rails, as by the sockets lb adapted to receive the pins It on the extren'iities of the rails.

'lhelcgs are composed of crossed bars pivoted at the middle as at z, one of the bars being formed of two pieces j connected by an S-shaped castings 7.

known and forms no part of my invention. The upper ends of the members of the end legs 0 and o are provided with angular plates f, the angular extensions f of which are hinged to the ends of the side rails, so that they may be folded up against the siderails, as shown in full lines in- Fig. 5, when the*cot is collapsed.

I This particular construction of the legs 1s however well The upper ends of thc mcmbers of the" middle leg 0' are provided with T-shaped cast'ngs e, the arms 0' of which are detachably hinged to the ends of the side-rail sections (1 (4 In the construction shown the arms c are provided with transverse pins c and the ends of the sections a a are formed with slots in adapted to receive the pins. Small screws a pass transversely through the slots outside of the engagement. When the cot is collapsed the side-rails are folded on their hinge joints and lie against the leg as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4. Other forms of separable hinge com'iections between the side-rail sections it a? and the middle legs may be employed, but they must be such that they can readily be separated or discolmected. The object of making the hinge connection detachable is to permit the bottom canvas d to be easily removed and replaced. As shown the canvas is hemmed along the sides and ends as at (Z to form pockets for the siderails and end-sticks, and these hems are pro vided with openings J at the middle. When the sections a a of the side-rails are disconnected from the leg they may be easily slipped from the pockets formed by the hem, so that the canvas may be detached. 'lo detach the ends of the canvas the ends of the end-sticks are sprung loose from the siderails and the cross-bars are slipped out of the hems. A new piece of canvas may then he slipped on the side rails, after which the sections of the rails are reattached to the leg and the end-sticks are slipped through the end hems and are sprung into engagement with the side-rails. Ittakes but a few moments to thus detach and remove a. soiled or injured canvas and to apply a new one.

To collapse the cot the ends of the bars 7 I) are disconnected from the side-rails and the cot is folded on the center line; this collapses the legs c c andm" and brings the side-rails 1/. (0 together. The end legs 0 and c are then t'olded over the top of the side-rails from the. position shown in dotted lines to that shown in full lines in Fig. 5, and at the same time the members a. and (a of the siderails are l'olded on their hinges down upon pins and prevent. dis

t t l 1 opposite sides of the center leg 0'. Asthe bars I) b are jointed at the middle they may be folded in horizontally as shown in dhtted lines in Fig. 3 between the side rails Without being removed from the hems in the ends of the canvas.

What. I claim is as follows:

1. In a cot the combination of legs. side-rails carried bottom carried by said side-rails and provided at each end with a hem forming a transverse pocket, and an end-stick extending through the pocket of the bottom at each end. detaehably connected with the ends of the side-rails and composed of sections hinged together at the middle on a vertical folding axis.

' 2. In a cot the combination of folding end and middle legs, side-rails hinged at their outer ends to the end legs and composed of sections detachably hinged together and to the middle legs, endsticks detachably connected with the ends of the side-rails and a canvas bottom provided on each side with a hem forming a pocket to receive the sections of the side-rails, said hem having an opening at its middle adjacent to the detachable hinged connection of the rail-sections with the middle leg.

3. In a cot the combination of folding end and middle legs, side-rails hinged at their outer ends to the end legs and composed of sections detachably hinged together and to the middle legs. a :anvas bottom provided on each side with a hem forming a pocket to receive the sect-ions of the side-rails said hem having an opening at its middle adjacent to the detachable hinged connection of the rail-sections with the middle leg, and a jointed end-stick detachably connected with the side-rails at each end and carried by the ends of the canvas bottom.

In testimony of which invention, I have hereunto set. my hand.

RUDOLPH O'RASMUSSEN. Witnesses:

l lnxns'r .llowmn llnNrnR, h. M. KELLY.

by said legs, a canvasv 

